Chicago Office
Tel: (312) 715-5180
Fax: (312) 632-1782

Sarah Ames

Partner

Sarah Ames is a bi-lingual member of the firm's Business Law Practice Group. She specializes in representing multinational companies, primarily German-speaking companies, and their U.S. subsidiaries with regard to corporate, commercial, employment, and immigration matters. Her experience includes:

  • Advising companies on incorporating restructuring, merging legal entities, and corporate governance.
  • Preparing and counseling on various agreements, including licensing agreements, terms and conditions of sale, lease agreements, and sales and distribution agreements.
  • Advising companies on employment matters such as employment agreements, handbooks, disciplinary actions, and termination.
  • Counseling companies on transferring and hiring foreign national, filing business visa applications and advising on general immigration matters.

Legal Services

  • Business Law
  • Corporate Governance & Compliance
  • Immigration
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • International Services

Education and Honors

  • University of Alabama School of Law (J.D., 1997)
  • University of Alabama (M.A., 1994)
  • Degree: German Literature
  • University of Hamburg School of Law (Intermediate Examination, 1992)
  • Major: European Community Law

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Alabama

Professional and Civic Activities

  • Alabama State Bar Association (Member)
  • Chicago Bar Association (Member)
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association (Member)
  • Australian New Zealand American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (Member; Director, May 2018 - present)
  • German-American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest (Member). Founding and Steering Committee Member of the Young Executives Committee
  • Heidelberg Club International (Member; Chair: 2015)
  • World Sport Chicago Athlete Ambassador Program (Member)
  • Seven Continents Marathon Club and North Pole Grand Slam Marathon Club (Member)
  • Intercontinental Marathon Club (Member, requires running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 days)
  • Board of Hamlin Fistula USA (Member, Chair: 2017)
  • Board of the International Fistula Alliance (Member, Chair: 2017)

Languages

  • German

Publications and Presentations

02/04/16
​Filing Window For H-1B Visa Petitions Fast Approaching
Immigration Law Update

04/09/14
“Breakfast Briefing: Getting Business Visas to the U.S. Right"
Hannover Messe, Germany

09/01/13
Vienna, Austria
Invited by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Vienna, Austria to speak on the commercial and immigration implications of sales of machinery and equipment to U.S customers

01/01/09
Düsseldorf, Germany
Invited by the State of Illinois West European Office to speak on immigration and corporate law topics before business leaders in Düsseldorf, Germany. Invited by various local chambers of commerce in Germany (Hamburg, Freiburg, Heilbronn) and the German-American Institute of Heidelberg to speak on corporate, commercial and immigration issues (2009 - present)

09/01/07
Heidelberg, Germany
Invited by Forum Institut für Management GmbH, Heidelberg, Germany to conduct a seminar on U.S. employment law and to be a panelist at an international conference on distributorship law (Fall/Winter 2007 and Fall 2010)

04/01/00
Chicago, Illinois
Northeastern Illinois University, Honors Program - European Colloquium, Chicago, Illinois. Lectured on German history and culture (Spring semesters 2000 and 2001)